69 | theTYPEAhippie Podcast | ChiCast: Surviving Sexual Assault (Ksenija Simmons)

I am looking forward to meeting Ksenija because our souls are already connected, we just need to be in the same physical place at the same time. She provides her experience as someone who has lived in multiple places and has had a wealth of unique lived experiences.

My passion for yoga came from a journey of finding healing in my own story of experiencing trauma. The first time I stepped onto my mat for a Holy Yoga class I knew something was different. As any beginner would, I experienced the uncomfortable and strange new sensations of poses I had never done before but I primarily felt a sense of freedom that had not been brought to life within me for years. Holy Yoga began to awaken me to God and to myself in a new and refreshing way. This practice brought me release, stillness and integrated my body, heart, mind and spirit into a wholeness I had never experienced before. For me, it became a way of worshiping Jesus on my mat, finding the surrendering of my heart, reconnection to lost places in my body and laying bare the spaces of my soul I did not yet understand. Each practice was unique and brought a different kind of healing than the one before. I wholeheartedly believe that using the modality of yoga and combining it with the expansion of our breath, scripture, prayer and meditation, alongside our movement, brings restoration to one's being.  Coming to a class does not mean bringing your perfect self… in fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is a place of bringing our brokenness, shedding our masks and finding our true selves. Simply showing up is enough. You are free to be you, while I get to be free to be me. Here we are not afraid of the cracks because it's in the cracks that light comes in and where, in return, our light shines through. Thank you for trusting me to lead you as I am led by the One who knows the needs of each one of us, thank you for your willingness to grow in this practice as I grow with you and thank you for the grace extended for me to continue to be a student right alongside you. I look forward to seeing this dream become a reality of authentic community and meeting each other right where life has us, while still holding on to the hope of experiencing life to its fullest. 

 

Ksenija was raised in central and eastern Europe until the age of 19 when she moved to America in 2002. A child to missionary parents brought her a diverse, rich and ever-changing environment - from various cultures, art, languages, festivities and beautiful countryside to war-torn communities, human trafficking, refugees and the desperately poor. This exposure cultivated compassion in her and a deeply rooted faith that God is the one who brings healing to the broken. This passion to bring a safe space for others to find their wholeness and restoration intensified as she began the journey to finding freedom in her own trauma. Now she has the joy of doing so through achieving her 500 hr Holy Yoga Masters certification, Trauma Sensitive and Touch certification and is currently in process of getting her Holy Yoga Therapy and Holy Yoga Kids certification. 

 

To connect with Ksenija:

 

* FB: Ksenija Simmons or Holy Yoga Columbia

* IG: @ksenija_simmons or @holyyogacolumbia

* Website: www.holyyogacolumbia.com

* Email: ksimmons@holyyoga.net